SEATTLE – Jacob Webb spun around on the mound and kept an eye on Pete Crow-Armstrong as the Cubs center fielder raced back to the wall at T-Mobile Park. Crow-Armstrong jumped and hit the padding, but the baseball Randy Arozarena just launched sailed well beyond his reach.
It was a gut-punch of an ending to a game the Cubs had under control against the Mariners. That last out slipped out of Webb’s grasp, and Arozarena enjoyed every step of his animated, celebratory trot that sent the North Siders to a 5-4 loss in walk-off fashion on Saturday night.
“Just some poor execution on my part,” Webb said.
That has been a rare sight from Webb, who has grown into one of manager Craig Counsell’s most trusted high-leverage arms and earned the bulk of the closing opportunities in the process. As injuries and other issues have threatened to hobble the bullpen at various points this season, Webb has been a steady hand for the group.
The North Siders are not precisely where they want to be in the standings – leading the National League Wild Card field, but now six back of the Brewers in the NL Central – but it is hard to imagine where the relief corps would be without Webb’s performance to date. Prior to Saturday, the righty had not surrendered a run since June 20.
Lefty David Peterson, who started Saturday for the Cubs, was acquired by Chicago on June 25.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Peterson said. “I think this might be the first little bump in the road for him since I’ve been here. It’s going to happen, but it doesn’t take away from how good of a pitcher he is, how good he’s been for this team, and how good and important he’s going to be going forward.”
Before Saturday’s events, Webb had not allowed a run in 24 consecutive appearances, covering 24 2/3 innings. The righty lowered his season ERA to 2.21 from 3.90 in that span. That run came immediately after Webb said he would go “back to the drawing board” following a tough five-game stretch.
Webb backed up that proclamation, filling in as the Cubs’ closer while Daniel Palencia was on the injured list and working back from an elbow injury. Palencia was activated on Friday and raved about the job Webb did in his place.
“Watching a guy like Webby,” Palencia said, “it’s awesome.”
With the Cubs holding a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning, Webb generated back-to-back flyouts off the bats of Cal Raleigh and Cole Young. Weston Wilson followed by driving a fastball in the heart of the zone deep into right-center field for a double. Leo Rivas then pulled a changeup from Webb into right field for a soft single, but enough to bring Wilson in to trim Chicago’s lead.
That set the stage for Arozarena, who led off the first inning with a first-pitch homer against Peterson and robbed Miguel Amaya of a homer with a spectacular catch in left in the third. Webb got Arozarena into an 0-1 count and turned to his slider – a pitch that helped enhance his arsenal this year – but left it too far up in the zone.
“I was trying to, honestly, bury it,” Webb said, “trying to see if I could get a swing at it. I just left it up a little bit.”
Arozarena belted the errant offering to center field to set off a walk-off party for the second game in a row for Seattle. Both Arozarena and Crow-Armstrong (Monday against the White Sox) homered on the first and last pitch of their team’s game. So, it has happened twice in a six-day span after only ever occurring once previously (Vic Power on May 7, 1957), per the Elias Sports Bureau.
That is a page in the history books that Webb will have to turn quickly, because nothing that happened Saturday changes anything in Counsell’s view.
"He’s been so, so good,” Counsell said. “I think I’ve regularly stated he’s kind of held this whole thing together for most of the year. He’s been great. I mean, he’s having a heck of a season. Today doesn’t change that. He’s going to be out there the next time there’s an opportunity.”
“It’s awesome having the confidence from him,” Webb said of Counsell’s support. “I have the confidence in my ability, too. I think today I just, like I said, I just didn’t execute, and I got beat.”